


Better Beta

by RedParrot



Series: The Greater Good [11]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Angst, F/M, M/M, Mating Cycles/In Heat, Opression, Rutting, Stimulants
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2019-08-17
Packaged: 2020-09-05 23:20:43
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,741
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20281537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedParrot/pseuds/RedParrot
Summary: With only one more chance to mate with Sammy, Daniel has a race against time to get back to him. Can the family rally around to keep the Omega and Alpha safe and sane until they can be together?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is the penultimate story in my ‘The Greater Good’ series. I hope you enjoy it.

‘Don’t you think we’ll understand?’ asked Clive, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. 

Meg smiled broadly, as she playfully slapped him on the arm. 

‘It’s not that you wouldn’t understand,’ she said. ‘It’s that I don’t want to get your hopes up.’

She watched the expression on Clive’s face turn to one of curiosity. Meg wished she could tell them both, wished she could give Sammy the news that every Omega would love to hear. But she could not. She had worked on the project for most of her career. Meg had started as a researcher for the progressive women. Now she was the lead on the project, that provided the vote went in their favour, would change their lives forever. 

They were sat in the back garden drinking home-made lemonade. A recipe that Clive had found on the internet, it had taken him several goes to perfect the recipe, adjusting the amount of sugar each time until it was just right. Meg had dragged the deck chairs and reclining chairs across the lawn from the shed earlier in the day. After chasing a few spiders, that had set up home in the furniture over the winter, away they had spent a couple of hours lazing in the garden. Sammy had sat reading a book whilst Meg and Clive had amiably talked about nothing in particular. The weather had been balmy for several days, the garden, that Clive tended to so lovingly, looked good. Clive had spent some time talking Meg through the intricacies of his work on the rose bushes. 

Sammy was a little quiet but that was unsurprising. She and Clive were doing their best to keep things as normal as possible. With both the Alphas away Sammy was feeling a little lost and vulnerable. Meg hated that the clinic the men had to visit for their annual medical was many hours drive away. There was a perfectly good hospital in the town they lived in. The authorities, in their infinite wisdom, had decided that all the Alpha males would have their annual medicals in one place. Something that proved very difficult for the Alpha’s who lived in poorer families, who had to rely on state handouts to make the journey. It was one of the many things that Meg had in her list of proposals of change. It had already been suggested a few times but poo-pooed by the government for financial reasons. 

Daniel and Jamie had left early that morning. They were booked into a cheap and cheerful hotel on the edge of the city, intending to stop the night, and attend their early morning appointments before driving straight back, probably returning by late evening the next day.

‘So what are you working on that you can tell us about?’ asked Sammy, breaking his silence. 

Meg smiled as she listed a few things, including allowing all family members to be given next of kin status, even for the few Beta males who lived with a family. Clive had smiled back when she mentioned the proposal. It pleased Meg to see genuine smiles from her family. 

Sammy had not noticed her and Clive holding each others gaze. They had managed to steal a few nights together since the first time they had slept with each other. The slightly tipsy sex was something Meg would not forget. And since that night they had developed a very agreeable clandestine relationship.

‘When do you think they’ll be back?’ asked Sammy.

Meg looked at Sammy, wondering why he was asking after the Alpha’s so soon, he knew it would be the following evening before they returned. If the traffic was bad the rest of the family would probably have gone to bed before the Alpha’s arrived home. 

Clive leaned across to Sammy, resting his hand on the Omega’s leg.

‘They’ll be fine. Daniel will text you when they are on their way.’

Meg watched as Sammy gave a small sigh and looked off across the garden, his eyes following a couple of butterflies that were twirling around each other in a mating dance. Sammy had become very protective of Daniel since the man had been badly beaten whilst saving him from another Alpha that was trying to rape him. The attack had left Daniel confined to a hospital bed for several days and then he had taken a few weeks to recover enough to return to work. Daniel had barely been fit enough to attend his medical, but he had not wanted to put the appointment off and insisted on going with Jamie the previous day. 

And then there was the issues of Sammy’s next heat. If Daniel did not get the Omega pregnant there would be no more chances for him. The Alpha would be thirty-five in a few months and was childless. Even Meg did not know what happened when the childless Alpha’s were taken from their families. It was cruel and it made no sense. 

Meg hoped, when the final chance came in a few weeks, Sammy and more particularly Daniel would get the thing, the pregnancy, that they deserved and desperately needed. 

A~B~O

Sammy had hated seeing his Alpha’s leave early that morning. He had hugged them both. Daniel had been forced to peel Sammy off him. Sammy had allowed Meg to put her arm around him as the Alpha’s climbed into the car and drove off. 

He had not slept well the previous two nights. Normally he slept deeply. Sammy wondered if he was coming down with something. He did not fancy the prospect of a summer cold, to join the hayfever he was already suffering with. 

One thing his hayfever did give him was an excuse to leave Clive and Meg so that he could be on his own. He had enjoyed sitting with them for a while but was missing his Alpha’s too much. After sneezing a couple of times he made his excuses and went back inside. He pushed the door to his bedroom open and looked at his room. He had spent a couple of hours that morning tidying and cleaning the room, even though it did not need it. 

Daniel had offered to paint the walls for him a few weeks before, the Alpha was gradually going through the house painting each room. He had not long finished giving Clive’s room a fresh coat of pale blue paint and built the green-fingered Beta a window box.

Sammy realised that Daniel was gradually going around them all, making them things and making sure the house was in good order. The Alpha was convinced he would be forced to leave them after his thirty-fifth birthday later that year if he did not get Sammy pregnant during his next heat. Daniel was slowly saying goodbye to them all in his own way. The normally quiet man had been even more withdrawn and sombre for a few weeks. 

Daniel had barely recovered from the vicious beating he had taken whilst protecting Sammy before having to leave for his medical. Sammy had found it difficult to let him go. It was difficult to see Jamie off as well, but this time Daniel had been the one he had clung to that little bit longer. Sammy guessed it had something to do with Daniel saving him from the attacker. 

No.

Sammy knew what it was. Sammy knew why he was feeling odd. Sammy knew why he wanted his Alpha back. 

Sammy was going into heat. 

But it was four weeks early. He had always been very regular. Omega went into heat every six months during their fertile years. The heats did not start to become irregular until they were in their late thirties. Sammy had spent a couple of days denying it was happening but the uncomfortable feelings were growing. He was not ill. Sammy had to accept that his heat was coming and he needed to mate. And he wanted his Alpha. He needed Daniel.

But Daniel was not there. And would not be until the following evening. Sammy did not think he would be able to last that long. He had never held off being knotted during his previous heats, he had not needed to. Daniel or Jamie had been there for him, helped him through. Mating was necessary but also something that they enjoyed, despite the increasing pressure for Daniel to father a child. 

Sammy would need to mate sooner rather than later. He was not sure what to do. He climbed onto his bed and curled up, unable to stop the tears that he had denied had been threatening him for quite some time. 

So many thoughts whirled around in Sammy’s head. He needed to mate but his mate was not there. Daniel had only one more chance to become a father before the authorities took him away. Who would mate with him if Daniel was not back in time? If Sammy did not mate, did not receive an Alpha’s knot he would become ill. Why was he going into heat a month early?

Could he wait? Could he last until the following evening? When Daniel would be back.

But for Sammy to get pregnant Daniel had to be in his rut and that would not happen for another month when Sammy was supposed to have his heat. Daniel would not be able to make him pregnant. Daniel’s last chance to be a father would be lost. 

Sammy sobbed. He could not help it. His early heat was going to be the end of his Alpha. Daniel would be taken away from them without even getting that one final chance to become a father. 

And it would be Sammy’s fault.

A~B~O

Beta males were not quite as tuned in to other’s scents and emotions as Omega and Alpha males were, but Clive knew there was something odd about Sammy. The young man had been suffering from hayfever for a few days, Clive had not been surprised when Sammy wandered back into the house after sitting with them for a couple of hours. They had been able to hear him sneeze a few times as he went. 

Sammy had taken himself off to his room and not emerged again. Clive had asked him if he wanted to join them for dinner but the Omega had quietly replied that he was not feeling very well and wanted to stay in his room and try to sleep. Clive had been a little concerned but Sammy was an adult and could make his own decision so left him in peace.

It was true that they were all tense. Daniel was fast approaching the age where, if he had not fathered a child, he would be forced to leave the family. The archaic rules created by the authorities in an attempt to maintain the population meant that a young Alpha would be assigned to the family and Daniel would be removed to an unknown fate. None of them knew, not even Meg, what happened to the Alpha males who were taken away. Rumours, some more unsavoury than others, were rife but no one knew for certain. Omega males who had not borne children faced the same fate when they turned thirty. It was not often that Omega were taken away, but it did happen. 

The next month would see Sammy going into heat and Daniel going into his rut. The last chance the pair would have to mate and have children. Clive knew that Sammy felt under enormous pressure to get pregnant. Daniel had sat the Omega down several times and told him it was not his fault. It was Daniel who was the one who had not managed to get an Omega pregnant. Both Sammy and their previous Omega, Liam, had carried children. The fault clearly lay with Daniel. The Alpha was tested, as all Alpha were during their annual medical. He was always found to be fertile. But he had not managed to father a child. 

Perhaps the tenseness that Clive could feel from Sammy was his worry bubbling to the surface again. The absence of both the Alpha’s had left Sammy without his protectors, despite him not being near his heat it was bound to make the Omega feel vulnerable. More so after the attack, he endured mere weeks before.

Clive had enjoyed a quiet evening with Meg, they had cuddled up on the sofa together, although they had been ready to move apart if Sammy had decided to join them. Although they were comfortable with their relationship they knew it was taboo and did not want to add to the pressure in the house by being open about it. Clive had intimated he could spend the night in Meg’s room but she had pointed out that if Sammy wanted something from one of them they would not want him to find them in bed together. 

Early the following morning Clive emerged from his small bedroom, after a quick visit to the bathroom he was about to return to his bed to try to get back to sleep. He could see the door to Sammy’s room was ajar. As he reached the door, he heard a quiet sob.

‘They’ll be back before you know it,’ said Clive from the doorway.

Sammy was lying on his bed, curled up, tears streaming down his face. He looked at Clive and sniffed, his flushed face showing fear. Something Clive was not expecting. 

‘What’s the matter?’ he asked as he ventured into the room and sat on the edge of the bed.

He reached out and stroked Sammy’s cheek. The Omega was very warm. Clive looked at Sammy for a few seconds, thinking through how the young man had been behaving the previous couple of days. He had become clingy with Daniel, he was being a little short with them and was acting unusually emotional. Clive furrowed his brow as he looked at the upset and scared Omega. 

‘It started a couple of days ago...I’m sorry.’

Clive could not help a small smile. He shuffled up the bed a little and pulled the Omega into a tight embrace for a few seconds. 

‘It’s not your fault, Sammy,’ he said. ‘You can’t help the biology.’

‘But it’s too early. I’m not due for a month yet…’

Clive pushed Sammy to arm's length and looked at him, ‘you were attacked a few weeks ago. You were nearly raped. Then you watched as your Alpha was beaten up and nearly killed. If anyone should be sorry it’s the rest of us. We should have considered this might have happened.’

Sammy looked confused. Clive gently wiped a few tears from the Omegas cheek. 

‘A big emotional or physical trauma can upset your heat cycle. This is not really unexpected, we should have asked for Daniel to have his appointment changed, he should have stayed.’

Fresh tears spilt from Sammy’s eyes, ‘but he won’t go into rut for another month. I can’t get pregnant with him...he’ll be taken away because of me-’

‘No, no, no, Sammy. Remember he syncs up with you,' said Clive.

He wanted to placate the worked up Omega. Sammy was talking quickly in between little gasped breaths and sobs.

‘But he’s too far away. He won’t be back before I need to mate-’

A creak of a floorboard caused both men to look towards the door. Meg was stood in the doorway watching them both. 

‘I am so sorry I didn’t think,’ she said. ‘We should have thought this might happen…’

Sammy sniffed, Clive pulled him into a hug. The Omega held onto him, his sobs making him shake a little.

‘I’ll call them, they’ll come back. Daniel might already be going into his rut, they probably know,’ said Meg as she reached into the pocket of her dressing gown to pull out her phone.

Sammy pushed away from Clive, he looked at them both, his expression turning to one of worry, ‘I don’t think I can wait that long…’

Clive looked at Sammy for a few seconds before looking back at Meg. He suddenly felt as though he was the centre of attention. Meg took a couple of steps forward. 

‘Sammy, please answer me honestly. Do you need to be knotted yet? Can you manage with just…’ she paused finding the question a little awkward to ask, ‘with just sex for now?’

Sammy looked at Clive. Clive could see the desperation in the young man’s eyes, knew what Meg was implying with her question. A Beta male could act as a placebo for both the Alpha’s and on rare occasions the Omega. Clive had worked as a substitute for several years to earn his freedom, but after being attacked by an Alpha, Meg had insisted he stop and that she become his legal guardian. But Clive had, in turn, insisted that he would still help out his own family if the need arose. He had, secretly, assisted Daniel when Sammy was pregnant but had never needed to help an Omega in heat before. He knew he could help Sammy, it would only be a stop-gap, a temporary fix, but the alternatives did not bear thinking about. 

‘Do you need an Alpha?’ asked Clive, deciding that it should really be him that asked the question and made the offer. ‘Or will a Beta do for now?’

A~B~O


	2. Chapter 2

Jamie looked around the room as he waited for Daniel. The waiting area was typical of most hospitals, there were a few attempts at making the room look welcoming, but on the whole, it looked sterile and oppressive. The other Alpha’s in the room had a slight look of apprehension on their faces, Jamie knew he had worn the same expression just before his appointment. Even though he knew the medical was just a formality, particularly for him, he still worried that something untoward would be found out. As an already successful father, Jamie had less to worry about during his medical. If he were to suddenly be diagnosed as infertile it would not matter, he had done his duty, more than he was legally bound to do. 

But Daniel. Daniel, his best mate, had been worried when he went in. Worried that he would finally be found to be infertile and replaced. They had been to medicals together before and Daniel had always been a little wary of the outcome, but it had always been the same. There was nothing wrong with him. He was a fit Alpha. He was just an unlucky Alpha. 

Jamie had not been surprised when his usually friendly and quiet friend had been a bit tetchy with him and slammed the car door shut with a little more aggression than necessary when they reached the clinic that morning. Daniel had a lot on his mind. They knew that Sammy was worried about his next heat. Daniel had tried to make the young Omega understand that if he did not get pregnant it would not be his fault. 

One of the doors opened opposite him, a young Alpha walked out. Despite being the strongest of the three male sexes the Alpha were still oppressed. The young man looked a little scared. Something that did not befit the idea of the protective Alpha male. But when they were surrounded by women, Doctors, administrators and security guards, most Alpha’s were on their guard. Jamie had been subject to the oppressive authority of the women more than once. He kept his head down. He made sure he did not look at any of them. Jamie hated that they, the ones that helped to keep the species alive were forced to do as they were told, were cowed by the authorities. 

The young Alpha handed his notes to the Omega receptionist, the Omega smiled at him, trying to offer reassurance as he input a few details before indicating that the Alpha could leave. 

Another Omega, this time a nurse, called for another Alpha to follow him. The Omega nurses had a calming effect on the Alphas. The doctors, all women, of course, would only talk to the Alpha’s if the Omega came across something that was outside the acceptable parameters. During the time he had been sat waiting for Daniel he had seen two of the small examination rooms be entered by doctors. One saw the Alpha emerge a few minutes later looking a little ashen and shocked. The second Alpha, when he emerged, was led away by the Omega nurse, towards the main part of the hospital. The man had looked blank, he did not even look shocked. Jamie wondered what had happened to cause him to need to be admitted to the hospital. At least the thorough medicals did find problems and get them dealt with. The health of the breeding males was important. About the only thing that did seem to matter to the women about their lives thought Jamie wryly.

‘Are we going then?’ asked Daniel who had appeared in front of him. 

So wrapped up in watching everyone else Jamie had not noticed his Alpha leave the examination room he had stepped into twenty minutes before. He looked up at his friend and smiled.

‘I guess they gave you a clean bill of health then?’

Daniel just shrugged and started walking away, out of the clinic, away from the rooms of worry and sometimes fear. Jamie quickly picked up his jacket and followed a little surprised at how abrupt Daniel was being. Jamie reminded himself that the man was likely to become a victim of the system in a few short months, perhaps it was understandable.

Daniel was already out of the building when Jamie reached the sliding doors. The tall Alpha was striding purposefully across the carpark towards the car, the key fob in his hand, pressing the button to unlock it before he was close enough. Daniel was keen to leave. Jamie did not see any reason to delay him, he hurried to catch him up, pulling the passenger door open and slipping into the seat as Daniel turned the key in the ignition and put the car in gear. Jamie had barely plugged his seat belt in before Daniel was moving the car out of the car park, a little faster than he should have been. Jamie hoped Daniel would calm down a little before they hit the motorway. Daniel’s aggressiveness was starting to bother Jamie, but he could not work out why the man was acting as he was. 

The drive would take several hours, he knew they would stop a couple of times, Jamie decided he would insist on driving after they made the first stop. Daniel was acting a little odd, and Jamie hated to admit it, but he did not think the man should be driving. He was not sure he could say anything though, he decided to keep quiet.

A~B~O

Daniel put the car into a higher gear, he needed to get away from the clinic, needed to put it in his rearview mirror. He realised Jamie was watching him. His friend, the man he considered his brother, had every right to be a little worried. Daniel was worried about himself. He had been feeling odd since they had arrived at the hotel the night before. He had not wanted to worry Jamie, had not stopped long in the bar, and gone to bed. He had been awake, but pretending to be asleep when Jamie quietly slipped into the other bed in the room they were sharing for the night. 

Daniel was missing his Omega. Sammy had not wanted to let him go when they had hugged goodbye the previous morning. Daniel had been forced to pull the slight, younger man away from him and practically push him into Meg’s arms so that they could leave. 

He knew he had been anxious about the medical, worried that, as it was the one before his last rut before he turned thirty-five, the authorities might decide that he was to be taken then and there. It would have been the perfect opportunity. They could have just locked him in the small room, tasered him, restrained him...taken him. 

The Omega nurse had remarked that he seemed anxious. The nurse, a blond man in his fifties had sympathised when Daniel had explained his fears. Somehow Omega were always easy to talk to. But really, Daniel just wanted to get back home to his family. To his Omega. Sammy needed to be looked after, needed to be protected. Even if Daniel only had a matter of months left to perform that duty he intended to do it to the best of his ability until it was his time.

Daniel tried to dismiss the negative thoughts from his mind. He pushed the car up to the speed limit, Daniel turned onto the slip road to join the motorway. He was on his way home to his Omega, that was what he should concentrate on. 

‘You alright?’ asked Jamie, his tone guarded. 

Daniel glanced across to him as he settled onto the motorway behind a white van which was steadily overtaking all the cars on the inside lane.

‘I’m fine. I’d wondered if they would take me…’

He could not finish the sentence. He knew that Jamie would know what he was going to say. He had probably been thinking the same. 

‘There’s still a chance, you have to keep that hope in your mind.’

‘Thanks,’ replied Daniel, unable to hide the sarcasm in his voice. 

Jamie did not respond. Daniel felt a little guilty, the younger Alpha was only trying to reassure him. But what reassurance could he give? There was nothing that could be done. When Sammy went into his next heat they would mate, and they would hope that he would become pregnant but Daniel knew he would not. And that would be that. The End. He would have to go. 

One thing Daniel was determined to do was not make a spectacle of his leaving. They had watched as a neighbour had been forced from his house when he reached thirty-five. The incident had been horrific. Daniel was going to give himself up. After they mated and Sammy did not become pregnant he would quietly leave. Daniel would leave early one morning, he would not tell them, he would just slip out before anyone was awake and hand himself in to the authorities for them to do with him as they wanted. 

He was scared, he would not admit it to the others, but he guessed that Sammy could sense it. The feeling only making his little Omega even more anxious about their final time together. 

Daniel hated what their world had become. He could not remember anything else, but he had read the history books, he knew what it had been like before the evolutionary leap. 

The white van indicated left and moved out of his way, Daniel pushed the car faster. He needed to get home to his little Omega. Sammy would be missing him. 

‘Danny, you need to slow down a little bit. The last thing we need is to get stopped for speeding.’

Daniel had not realised he was going so fast, he eased off the accelerator. But he needed to get home. 

His Omega needed him. And he needed his Omega.

A~B~O

Jamie was watching the speedometer carefully, he decided he would have to say something if Daniel started going too fast again. He could not understand Daniel’s attitude, the quiet Alpha was usually very careful when he drove, rarely speeding more than anyone else was. Today he was taking a few more risks than were necessary. They all cut things a bit close when changing lanes on occasion, it was just what happened with motorway driving. But Daniel had caused several people to break quite sharply with his overtaking. Jamie glanced at his watch, he wondered if he could get them to stop sooner rather than later. Jamie decided he would happily take over the driving for the rest of the long journey. Daniel was too wound up. 

Jamie guessed his friend was now back to thinking about his final weeks with the family. The Alpha’s time with them was fast dwindling. If he was honest, Jamie did not think Sammy would get pregnant during his final heat with Daniel. Daniel was, no doubt, thinking the same. 

He felt his phone buzz in his pocket, he pulled it out opening up the message. Jamie had to try not to react to Meg’s text.

_Sammy’s gone into heat. Guess it was brought on by his attack. Is Danny going into rut? Need you both home ASAP. Clive has volunteered to keep Sammy going for a bit. M.___

_ _Jamie glanced at Daniel. It made sense. The aggressiveness and his obvious urgency to get home. Back to his Omega. Their cycles had synced up. Daniel was probably going into rut when they left, it had just taken a while to start being noticeable. _ _

_ _‘Why don’t we head across country, the motorway is going to get busy?’_ _

_ _Daniel did not react for a few seconds, before hitting the indicator button and moving back to the inside lane and towards the slip road that would take them off the busy motorway. Jamie tried to think ahead. If he was going to persuade Daniel to stop he needed to do it somewhere quiet. The last thing they needed was for Daniel to draw attention to himself and get them delayed by some busybody calling the police. The authorities were always more than happy to deal with aggressive Alpha’s. Jamie knew it would take too long to explain to the women who would not want to listen to them anyway._ _

_ _‘Can we stop for a minute. Just in that little car park. Sorry, I should have gone before we left, but you had us out of the hospital so quickly I didn’t think.’_ _

_ _Daniel practically growled in response but did gradually slow the car and turn into the small car park that connected a long-distance walking trail. Jamie knew the car park was there and knew it would likely be empty. He and Clive had walked parts of the trail a couple of years before. There were six spaces and a waste bin. The bin was overflowing from not being collected for too long. Daniel swung the car around and brought it to a halt facing the exit, he had not bothered to park in a space. Jamie could tell the man wanted to leave as soon as he could. _ _

_ _‘I er...won’t be a minute,’ said Jamie as he climbed out of the car. _ _

_ _He walked towards the wooded area, slipping down a small bank. He glanced back at the car. It had crossed his mind that Daniel might just drive off and leave him, but the rut was in its early stages so Daniel still had most of his reason. _ _

_ _Jamie carefully worked around the trees out of sight so that he could come up on the other side of the car. He was not sure what he was going to do, but he knew he had to get the car keys. Daniel could not be trusted to drive any further. Not whilst he was in rut. His aggressiveness was only going to get worse. Jamie calmly walked up to the driver's door and pulled it open. _ _

_ _Daniel looked up at him, confusion clouding his expression. Jamie quickly pulled the car keys from the ignition and took a couple of steps back._ _

_ _‘What are you doing?’ said Daniel as he got out of the car and squared up to Jamie. _ _

_ _‘It’s my turn to drive.’_ _

_ _‘No it isn’t. Give me the keys.’_ _

_ _‘Danny, you’re going into rut. That’s why you're acting aggressively. You can’t drive like this.’_ _

_ _‘That’s not for at least four weeks. What’s the matter with you? Give me the keys. We need to get on.’_ _

_ _Daniel took a few steps towards Jamie who retreated. But Daniel, his aggression increasing by the second, took a couple more quick steps and grabbed Jamie by the arm, trying to wrestle the keys from him._ _

_ _‘Give me the fucking keys,’ he said, almost shouting. _ _

_ _Jamie tried to push him off, hating having to be forceful with his confused friend. Daniel pulled his arm back and punched him in the face, letting go of his arm at the same time. Jamie stumbled back, hitting a curbstone with his heel and ending up on the stoney ground by a gate. He shuffled backwards as Daniel moved forward. Jamie was convinced the angry Alpha was going to kick him. _ _

_ _Daniel stopped his advance. He stared at Jamie, his breathing hard. He looked up and stared into the distance, one hand reaching out to steady himself on a fence post._ _

_ _‘I...Sammy...that’s why he was so clingy. How did you know?’_ _

_ _Jamie looked up at Daniel warily as he replied, ‘Meg texted me. Clive’s helping him for now. We need to get you back. But you are not driving.’_ _

_ _Daniel stepped forward again holding his hand out. Jamie accepted the offer of help. Daniel looked mortified. _ _

_ _‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘Is it bad?’_ _

_ _Daniel looked at Jamie’s face, where he had been hit._ _

_ _‘It smarts, and I suspect you’ll have left a bruise. But it doesn't matter. Are you calm for now?’_ _

_ _Daniel nodded._ _

_ _‘Let’s get going then. Sammy needs you.’_ _

_ _A~B~O_ _

_ _As Daniel pulled Jamie up to stand he looked the younger Alpha over. He felt awful for having knocked him to the ground. The bruise on his jaw was already starting to show and there were grazes on his cheek. Jamie was covered in dusty earth where he had landed on the ground. All he had been able to think about until Jamie had told him he was going into rut, was that he needed to get home to his little Omega. _ _

_ _He could not understand why he had not put two and two together and worked out that it was his rut and Sammy’s heat that was pulling him home. The fact that it was early had thrown him. He had thought that morning that he felt like he did when he had experienced his annual rut before. But he had dismissed the idea, it was too early. Now it all made sense. _ _

_ _They hurried back to the car, Jamie brushed the worst of the debris off his jeans before pulling the driver's door open and climbing in. _ _

_ _The thing that worried Daniel as they drove out of the small car park was that he would continue to get agitated and aggressive until he could sate his primal needs with his bonded Omega. Daniel knew he was a potential threat to any Omega that they got close to. The longer he went without being with his Omega the more desperate he would become to mate. He could deal with a rut on his own, he had in the past. But this was different, he was not in the privacy of his bedroom. He just hoped he could last until they got home. But that would not be for several hours. _ _

_ _A~B~O_ _

_ _Jamie guessed it was inevitable that Daniel would get aggressive again. He had managed to keep himself calm for a couple of hours. They had made good progress along the main roads towards home. Jamie had not wanted to rejoin the motorway in case Daniel got aggressive. He hated to think of the carnage they would cause if Daniel struck out when they were driving along the busy motorway. _ _

_ _Daniel had become increasingly fidgety over the last thirty minutes. Jamie had known it was going to happen, he hoped they would find somewhere to stop before Daniel could not contain himself any longer. When it happened, Jamie was glad no one was behind them._ _

_ _‘Come on, you can go faster,’ snapped Daniel, reaching across to the steering wheel. _ _

_ _Jamie was not sure what his confused friend thought he would achieve by grabbing at him and the steering wheel. It certainly was not going to get them home any quicker. Jamie had to brake sharply, causing them both to be forced forward by the momentum. Daniel grabbed at Jamie again. Jamie was forced to push Daniel off him firmly, holding him back in his seat as he eased the car as far to the side of the road as he could. _ _

_ _‘Daniel,’ he said firmly. ‘You have to control yourself for a bit longer.’_ _

_ _He paused for a moment, knowing what he was going to say next would probably embarrass his friend. _ _

_ _‘Go and...you need to... Damn it. Go and have a quick wank in those trees will you.’_ _

_ _The deep red that Daniel quickly went would have been comical at any other time. The man realised what he had done in a moment of clarity. He looked down._ _

_ _‘I know you can’t help it. Go and sort yourself out, then we’ll get on.’_ _

_ _Jamie reached out and rubbed Daniel’s arm trying to give his friend some reassurance. Daniel nodded, Jamie, heard a quietly muttered apology as he got out of the car and walked off into the thick group of trees that stood a few feet from where they had stopped. Jamie just hoped no one found them. He was not sure he could explain why they had stopped where they had. _ _

_ _He decided he should at least let Meg know they were making good time, even if they were making a brief stop for safety's sake. _ _

_ _Meg answered on the second ring._ _

_ _‘How’s it going?’ she asked, the concern obvious in her voice._ _

_ _‘Danny’s getting a bit aggressive, but it’s nothing we can’t...deal with,’ he replied, hoping the inference was enough, he did not want to spell out to Meg what they had stopped for. _ _

_ _There was a pause before Meg replied, ‘OK. Clive’s with Sammy, I...er...guess it’s going alright at the moment. But I doubt Clive’s going to be able to help him for long. Poor love had held off telling us overnight.’_ _

_ _‘We’re still three or four hours away,’ said Jamie. ‘I can’t risk us getting stopped.’_ _

_ _‘I know. You just do what you have to...If it comes to it I’ll have to get an agency Alpha in-’_ _

_ _‘Only if it comes to it. None of us wants Sammy to have to mate with a stranger. Not after what happened to him…’_ _

_ _Meg did not reply for a few seconds, Jamie thought he heard her sniff a couple of times._ _

_ _‘I know...just drive safely. Let’s just hope Clive can keep Sammy going until you get here.’_ _

_ _Meg ended the call. Jamie stared at the phone for a few seconds, he tried to work out the most efficient route home. He wondered if he could chance the motorway again, once Daniel was a bit calmer._ _

_ _The thought of them being forced to use an agency Alpha, a stranger, to see Sammy through his heat was horrible. _ _

_ _Could Clive give Sammy what he needed for long enough?_ _

_ _A~B~O_ _


	3. Chapter 3

After Meg had left the room, quietly closing the door behind her, the two men looked at each other for a few seconds. Clive looked a little worried. Sammy knew his offer of help was genuine. He also knew the Beta male had never taken the role of the Alpha before. Sammy wondered if he would have to explain what he had to do. Of course, Clive had taken the Omega role on numerous occasions, but Omega and Beta physiology was different. What they were about to do would be new for both of them. 

Sammy managed a smile, he wiped the tears from his eyes. 

‘Are you sure you want to do this?’ he asked. ‘Don’t feel you have to.’

Clive moved to sit on the edge of the bed, he looked Sammy in the eyes, ‘when Meg became my guardian and I didn’t have to...offer my services anymore...I said then that I would be there for you or Jamie or Danny if you needed me. So here I am. I want to help you. Let me help you. I’ll not be able to give you all that you need, but if I can tide you over until the boys get back…’

Sammy shifted slightly, his need to mate was almost overwhelming, but he knew that Clive would need guidance. He had been through enough heats to be able to push the worst of the feeling aside for a little while. He decided to take the lead and started to strip off his clothes. Clive copied him, folding his pyjamas neatly and putting them to one side. 

Sammy smiled, ‘it says a lot that neither of us has a problem being naked.’

Clive returned the smile before looking down at his half-hard cock, his cheeks flushing slightly.

‘I’ve never...I know what to do, obviously but…’

Sammy stood up, he took Clive’s hands in his and pulled him close, he kissed Clive on the lips. Clive resisted for a couple of seconds before kissing him back. Sammy smiled as Clive took control of the kiss. He wondered when his friend had learned to kiss so well, Sammy was sure Clive was not treated passionately by the Alpha’s that he used to offer himself to.

Knowing that he would have to get Clive fully aroused, Sammy slid his hand down the Beta’s side and over his hip before moving his hand to work at Clive’s cock. Clive was breathing fast, Sammy guessed he was not used to being touched. Using his experience with Daniel and Jamie, Sammy helped Clive for a few seconds. His friend did not take too much persuasion.

‘You’re...err...good at that,’ said Clive, the awkwardness still in his voice. 

‘It’s not my first time,’ replied Sammy.

He took Clive’s hand and guided him to the bed. Clive sat on the edge of the bed and watched as Sammy climbed on and positioned himself on his hands and knees. 

‘I don’t mean to be rude, Clive, but you really don’t have to worry about going slow with me. I’m...err…’

Clive laughed out loud. Sammy was pleased his friend could see the humour in what he was saying.

‘I’ve been with enough Alpha’s to know my cock is nothing compared to them,’ said Clive without embarrassment.

Sammy waited for a few seconds as Clive slowly got himself into position. Knowing he was about to have sex with Clive was odd. Sammy loved all his family, but he was only supposed to sleep with Daniel and Jamie. What Clive was about to do was not wrong but it should not have been necessary. Although at the same time Sammy was very glad he was able to get the respite he hoped Clive would provide. Anything that helped to put off the need for a stranger to be brought in to knot him was welcome. Sammy did not want to be mated with a strange Alpha. The thought terrified him. Sammy was determined he would last until Daniel could get to him. 

Clive settled himself between Sammy’s legs he gently put his hands on his hips and lined himself up. Sammy felt the Beta’s cock push into him. It felt different from the Alpha’s cock. Even though he did not get the same feeling of fullness he got from an Alpha mating him he did feel better than he had felt mere minutes before. He knew it was only going to help him in the short term but anything that kept him sane was good. 

Sammy had heard horror stories from other Omega of some of their sex dying from not being knotted during their heat. He knew the Omega would get very ill, but he did not believe he would die. Although he did not want to find out how ill he might become. 

Clive had pushed into him and eased out of him a few times. Sammy closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling. 

‘Can I…’ Clive paused before continuing, ‘should I touch you?’

Sammy could not help smiling, he was glad he was facing away from his friend. The Beta had spoken with a hesitancy he was not used to. Clive was always so calm and helpful, the voice of reason, the one to lean on when you were upset. But now he was uncertain of himself despite the fact he was helping Sammy more than perhaps the man knew. 

‘Please,’ Sammy managed to reply.

He felt Clive move his hand and reach for his small cock. Clive was gentle with his movements, Sammy guessed he was not sure about touching him.

‘You can be a bit firmer,’ Sammy said, feeling a little awkward having to encourage his friend. 

Clive worked his cock for a few seconds. The Beta had lost his rhythm a little as he tried to get his balance right. Sammy loved Clive even more for his lack of coordination. His friend was doing something he had never done before and despite that was doing very well.

Sammy did not feel the usual euphoria he got from sex with his Alpha’s but he felt at least partially sated. He came with a small sigh the feeling making him yearn for his Alpha’s knot, although he knew he would not get that from Clive. The Beta went back to fucking him with gentleness and caring Sammy was not used to, even from the Alphas. Both Jamie and Daniel were gentle with him, but it was not the same. They had a need within them, in the same way, that Sammy had a need. They were looking to procreate, the primal urge leading their desires. But what Clive was doing, his friend was not trying to get him pregnant, his friend was trying to help him.

Sammy felt Clive come inside him. Clive was panting from the effort as he pulled out. Sammy was used to his Alpha’s knotting him when they came, it was odd for the sex to stop. But he did feel better for it.

‘Will you...hold me...like they would?’ he asked. 

Sammy managed to twist around to look at Clive who was still breathing quickly, knelt behind him. Clive nodded and moved to lie beside him, slipping his arms around Sammy. 

‘I’m sorry I can’t do more,’ said Clive.

Sammy smiled as he laced his fingers between Clive’s, ‘you’re doing more than I could ask as it is.’

They lay together for a few minutes. Sammy listened to Clive’s breathing settle. He wondered how long it would be before the Beta would be able to have sex again. The need to be knotted was returning quickly. If he had been with Daniel, as he should have been, he would have been content to lay with his mate until the Alpha’s knot went down. They would not need to mate and knot again for a while. 

But this was different. He knew Beta males could have sex more than once, but would it be enough? He wondered how long Clive would last before he could not have sex again.

Sammy wondered how long he would last before the need to be knotted was so overwhelming he would allow a stranger to mate with him. 

A~B~O

Clive had tried to compare sex with Sammy with sex with Meg. But it was very different. He had slept with Meg several times since that first memorable, if slightly drunk, time. Clive enjoyed sleeping with Meg and he was sure she enjoyed her time with him. 

But this was different. 

He was not sleeping with Sammy because he wanted to. He had never been attracted to Sammy. He was sleeping with Sammy and fucking him because it was his duty as a friend. He could help his friend out and Clive had every intention to do so. He just wished he could give Sammy all that he needed it. Sammy needed to be knotted and Beta males could not do that. All Clive could do was keep the worst of Sammy’s heat symptoms at bay. 

It had not been long after the first time that Sammy had become needy again. Clive had obliged, he was surprised that he was able to get aroused again so quickly, but he did not complain. He had been able to take the lead the second time, which was probably what Sammy needed. The Omega had managed to help him through the first time but was starting to suffer too much to encourage him the second time. 

Now Clive was busy thrusting into his Omega friend a third time. Sammy had dozed for about an hour but when he woke his sexual appetite was just as great. This time Sammy had straddled him and after using his hands to work Clive’s cock for a couple of minutes had pushed himself down onto him. Clive had not known where to look, Sammy had his eyes closed the tenseness dissipating as he moved up and down. But Clive knew the tenseness and the symptoms would return soon enough. Clive did not think he could keep up with Sammy for long. 

As he came again, Sammy sighed and leaned forward, kissing him a few times before moving to lie next to him. The Omega cuddled into him closely. 

Clive was already tired. He could feel the pull of sleep washing over him. He hoped Sammy would be sated for a while.

‘I can wait for a bit,’ said Sammy who must have noticed how exhausted Clive was becoming. ‘I can wait for you to be ready again.’

Clive knew the words were just for his benefit. Sammy could not wait. Sammy needed to be mated. 

And Clive could not fulfil what Sammy needed.

A~B~O

The hours were ticking by far too slowly for Meg’s liking. She guessed that the Alpha’s were not far away. They had to be close. An hour away at most. Sammy could last another hour, surely. She glanced at the closed door. It was odd to be sitting vigil so close to Sammy’s bedroom. Normally they all kept away from the Omega and whichever Alpha he was with. They were afforded the space and privacy they deserved. But Meg felt she had to remain fairly close. Close enough to lend whatever help she could.

She had been sat on the top stair for at least two hours, she had idly looked at her phone for a bit, checking traffic reports and trying to avoid looking at sites that offered Alphas to service Omega who could not be mated by their own Alpha.

There were the government-approved Alpha’s. Generally, older men who had fathered children and were perhaps retired or had lost their Omega for some reason would offer their services. But using a government-approved Alpha would mean the authorities would know that Daniel had missed his last rut with Sammy and would have no reason to delay removing him from the family. Meg could not allow that. If it came to it she would go to one of the private firms or the self-employed Alphas who offered themselves. Anything that prevented Daniel from being taken from them sooner than he had to be was a good thing. 

She wished she knew what happened to the Alpha and Omega who were taken when they had not become parents. She had tried to find out, but it was such a closely guarded secret that even most of her non-progressive colleagues did not know what happened. 

If there was a God, she hoped they would give Daniel his chance at fatherhood. The gentle Alpha did not deserve to be taken away from them. 

But for that to happen the Alpha needed to mate with his Omega. And that was not going to happen if he did not get home quickly. 

She looked at the phone in her hand as it buzzed. Closing her eyes for a few seconds she hoped it was going to be Jamie telling her they were just around the corner, waiting at the lights that took forever to change. 

‘How far off are you?’ she asked, not bothering with a greeting. 

‘There’s been a crash just outside that farm shop on London Road,’ said Jamie, his voice sounding tinny on the hands-free set. 

She heard something being said between the two Alpha’s before Jamie spoke again.

‘It’s going to take us at least two hours more, the diversion they’ve set up is ridiculous, it’s taking ages to get round. Danny suggested he could walk from here, but I don’t want him out on his own.’

‘No, Danny,’ said Meg, raising her voice slightly, ‘you stay with Jamie. If you did something to get yourself in trouble there would be no way you would get back in time.’

She paused, trying to make out what Daniel was saying. 

‘He knows your right,’ said Jamie. ‘How are they doing?’

‘I don’t know. It’s very quiet in there, I can’t just knock on the door and ask them-’

‘Sorry,’ said Jamie, ‘stupid question really. Look, we’re doing the best we can. If they can make it another couple of hours, we’ll be there. Or we’ll be close enough that I can leave the car somewhere and walk with Danny back to you.’

A creak of a floorboard behind her made Meg look across to Sammy’s room. The Omega was standing in the doorway looking at her.

‘Just get home OK?’ she said before ending the call and turning to face Sammy.

Sammy’s face was flushed, the sheen of sweat covered him. He was holding a sheet in front of himself loosely. Meg was not used to seeing the Omega in such a state of undress and looking so tired. The usually tidy man looked desperate. 

‘He won’t wake up,’ said Sammy, his voice whiny. ‘I need him to wake up...I need Danny…’

Meg climbed to her feet and crossed the landing to him, she pulled him into a brief hug, feeling how warm he was as she did so. She looked over Sammy’s shoulder into the bedroom. She could see Clive sprawled across the bed, naked, he was fast asleep. The room was hot and stuffy. 

She looked at Sammy who was looking at her, tears in his eyes.

‘I don’t want to be fucked by a stranger,’ he said quietly, ‘but I need to be knotted...I need Danny.’

‘I know, love,’ said Meg with another glance at Clive. ‘Why don’t you go and have a shower, it will help to cool you down a little bit. I’ll wake Clive up. He’ll be ready for you when you get back.’

Sammy nodded distractedly and wandered away, dropping the sheet as he walked into his en suite bathroom. She waited a few seconds before moving across to Clive. She crouched by the bed and shook him firmly. 

‘Clive,’ she said, ‘you have to wake up.’

It took her a couple of minutes to get the Beta to wake up. He looked at her through hooded eyes. 

‘I’m sorry,’ he mumbled, ‘I can’t keep up with him. I just can’t do it anymore…’

‘You have to, the boys are stuck in traffic. They won’t get here for another two hours. It’s you or I have to get an Alpha in…’

Clive’s eyes had focused on her left hand, she looked down at the blister pack of pills she was holding. She sighed, she looked away, she hated what she was about to do to the man she was regularly sleeping with. The man she was in love with. 

It had taken her a few minutes to decide to pick up the pack of pills that had been languishing in a drawer in her office for several years. The pills had a very long expiry date, she knew they would still work. 

‘When did you get them?’ asked Clive who obviously knew what the pills were for.

Meg blinked a few times and looked away, trying not to cry. She was sure she struggled with her emotions more since she had been sleeping with Clive. She felt Clive’s fingers on her hand, gently taking the blister pack from her. 

The noise of the shower starting in the en suite hummed through the room for a few seconds before Clive broke the silence between them.

‘You got them when I first moved here, didn’t you? You got them in case I ever had to do this. You got them for this very reason. To keep me going…’

Meg looked at him and nodded, ‘I’m sorry Clive-’

‘Why? I’m nothing more than a commodity to most people. But not to you. You’re different, Meg, you treat me as an equal.’

Meg smiled, ‘they were given to me. They came with the information...the rules about living with a working Beta...I chucked them in a drawer, never thought I would need them…’

She watched her lover push himself up to sit. She tried not to glance at his flaccid cock, tried not to think about what he had been doing for several hours with Sammy. 

Clive pushed one of the pills from the pack. 

‘How many do I take?’

‘Just one,’ replied Meg.

Clive put the pill in his mouth and took a drink of water to help him swallow it. Meg could not believe he had taken the stimulant with barely any fuss. She had wondered if she would have to spend some time asking the Beta to take the pill so that he could continue to act as a placebo for Sammy. 

‘How quickly will it work? He’s desperate. He could barely wait last time.’

‘A few minutes I think,’ said Meg with a glance to the en suite as the shower was turned off again.

‘You’d better go then,’ said Clive with a smile.

Meg leaned in and kissed her lover, he responded, pushing his hand through her hair. She smiled as they moved apart. She wondered if what Clive was doing would change their relationship. She hoped not. 

With a last look at her lover, she slipped from the room as the door to the en suite was opened. As she closed the bedroom door she hoped she had done the right thing. Clive had not even asked if the pill he had taken would have any side effects. She knew it was a risk, but they had few options to choose from. 

A~B~O

Clive watched Meg walk away, his lover had looked so guilty as she clutched the blister pack. Clive knew why she had done it. The survival of the species often outweighed any slightly moral thoughts. Keeping Sammy safe was more important than a worthless Beta. Despite the fact that they were sleeping together, Meg had been forced to put her feelings aside. She had been forced to look at the bigger picture. Sammy needed to mate, but his mate would not be there for another two hours. To help the Omega through that time he needed to have sex. And the only one who could help Sammy was Clive. But Clive was weak compared to an Alpha. Clive needed some help to keep him going so that he could keep Sammy going.

He looked at Sammy as he walked back into the room, he looked refreshed after his shower, but it was obvious he needed to have sex again.

The Omega approached the bed slowly, looking Clive up and down. 

‘You’re awake...can you…’ Sammy looked down for a few seconds, ‘can you fuck me again?’

Clive nodded. He could feel the stimulant working on him, he felt energised. Sammy climbed onto the bed, sliding his hand up Clive’s leg before touching his half-hard cock. 

Clive wondered what their relationship would be like after the heat. It surely could not go back to how it had been. They had shared something very intimate. Clive had helped Sammy in a very personal way. He loved Sammy, but he was not in love with him. He remembered what it was like after he had helped Daniel in a similar fashion. They had gone back to their relationship easily, would it be the same with Sammy. Clive hoped so. 

Sammy had learned over the few hours they had been having sex exactly how to work Clive’s cock to get him fully aroused quickly. Sammy moved to present himself for sex as Clive shifted his position. Whatever the pill he had taken contained it was working well. Clive was sure he would be able to have sex with Sammy a few more times. He was sure he could last the couple of hours until Daniel could get home. 

The only issue would be how quickly Sammy needed to have sex again when he had finished. The stimulant would not last forever and Clive did not really want to take another. 

But he would if he had to. 

A~B~O


	4. Chapter 4

‘Come on,’ said Daniel, the aggression seeping back into his voice. 

‘Not long now, Dan. Just a few more minutes…’ said Jamie, as much to himself as to the Alpha sat next to him. 

Once free of the diversions and chaos caused by the car crash they had made good time. They were on the outskirts of their town before Daniel had started to struggle to contain himself. The Alpha was fidgeting and sighing. Jamie knew he would have struggled to keep Daniel calm for much longer. The man needed to get a release. If they were any further from home Jamie would have insisted Daniel dealt with himself again. But they were so close he was sure the Alpha could wait until he could be with his mate. 

As they pulled away from the traffic lights, that had typically taken far longer than was necessary to change to green, Jamie knew he had to make the most of the few minutes before they arrived home. 

‘When we get home,’ he said with a glance towards Daniel. ‘Danny, listen to me, this is important…’

Jamie waited for the distracted man to take a breath and look at him. 

‘When we get there, you have to let me go in first-’

Daniel was about to speak, Jamie raised his hand to stop him.

‘You will let me go in first. I’ll get Clive out of the way...I know you won’t mean it, but you are very wound up. You are likely to see him as a rival...you know all the primal shit. Listen to me. If you hurt him, you’ll regret it. He’s helping you and Sammy. Just remember that.’

Jamie indicated left and turned into the road before their own. Daniel was quiet for a few seconds.

‘Just be quick. I’m not sure I can wait long...Jamie…’ Daniel paused again for a few seconds, ‘thanks. If we hadn’t been together…’

‘I know,’ said Jamie with a nod as he turned into their driveway. ‘Give me a chance to get Clive out of the way. Then you go and help our Omega.’

Jamie was out of the car before Daniel had a chance to respond. He rushed up to the front door, which was opened as he reached it. Meg stepped aside as he hurried past. 

‘How’s it going?’ he asked as he made his way to the stairs. 

Meg stayed by the door, looking towards the car. Jamie guessed she was prepared to delay Daniel if necessary. If she could. The Alpha was strong when he was in rut, even Meg would struggle to keep him back, particularly after the long wait Daniel had been through before getting to his mate. 

‘I had to give Clive a stimulant to keep him going. But he’ll have probably come down from it by now.’

Jamie took the stairs two at a time. He did not bother to knock on Sammy’s door. They usually took privacy very seriously, but there were more important considerations at that moment. He pushed the door open, he knew he would not forget the sight that greeted him. The two men were lying on the bed, both naked, both unable to react to his presence. 

Sammy was curled up on his side, facing away from him, he was panting. It was obvious he was very uncomfortable. Jamie wondered how long it had been since the men had last had sex. Sammy had been in heat for more hours without being knotted than he had ever been before. The Omega would be desperate to be mated. 

Clive was lying on his back, apparently asleep, he looked ashen. Jamie guessed the Beta was feeling the effects of the stimulant wearing off. The activity between the two men would have caught up with Clive. 

Jamie knew there was no time for modesty, he just walked up to Clive and leaned forward scooping the small-framed man up in his arms. It was not the first time he had carried the Beta in his arms. 

As he turned from the bed Sammy managed to push himself over onto his back, he looked up at Jamie.

‘Daniel will be here in a minute. It’s over now, he can look after you.’

Sammy managed a nod. 

Jamie carried Clive from the room and across the landing. As he reached the bathroom he could hear Daniel climbing the stairs. Jamie closed the door to the bathroom and listened. He heard Daniel cross the landing and enter Sammy’s bedroom. He hoped the two men would be alright. Jamie turned his attention to the nearly unconscious Beta he still had in his arms. Clive was limp, lying heavily against him.

‘I’m going to help you get cleaned up, Clive,’ he said as he lowered the Beta to the floor of the bathroom. ‘Then I’m going to put you to bed. You can sleep it off. You’ve done a good thing today...you can rest now.’

Clive managed to open his eyes and looked at Jamie, he nodded.

‘Is Danny with him now?’

‘Yes, we just got back,’ replied Jamie as he leaned over the bath and turned the taps on, before pushing the plug into the hole. 

Jamie busied himself with collecting a bath towel for Clive and pouring a bit too much of Meg’s bubble bath into the water. He remembered Meg getting the fancy bubble bath as a gift from one of her ex-girlfriends, she had told them to use it if they wanted to. Both the Alpha’s had told her they were not going to use ‘girly stuff’ in the bathroom, but Clive had quite openly said he liked the smell of the posh ingredients despite having no idea what half of it was. 

Clive had managed to get to his feet and with Jamie’s help stepped into the bath. Jamie kept one hand on his friend’s shoulder keeping him steady. Slowly, Clive managed to wash. 

‘How was Danny?’

‘Struggling,’ said Jamie. ‘I’m not sure he would have lasted much longer.

‘If you hadn’t got back when you did Sammy would have needed an agency Alpha. I don’t think Meg would have let me take another stimulant. I just couldn’t do it anymore. I can’t even begin to imagine how you manage to keep going during a heat…’

Jamie saw Clive redden at the intimacy of the statement.

‘We’re built for it. It’s what we do. Nature. Evolution.’

Clive leaned back in the bath, he sighed, ‘I guess, ‘cos I’m used to playing the Omega roll I’ve not had to test my stamina from your perspective before.’

Jamie could understand. The Beta was not built to keep up with an Omega’s need to mate. He would also not experience the Alpha need to help his mate. Beta males were stuck in a no man’s land, they were neither one nor the other. 

Clive was struggling to keep his eyes open. 

‘Let’s get you dried off and into bed,’ said Jamie.

Clive smiled, ‘thank you,’ he said.

Clive leaned forward and pulled the plug before allowing Jamie to help him to stand and step out of the bath. Jamie wrapped Clive in the bath towel and waited patiently as his friend dried himself off. With a shaky step Clive managed to walk to his bedroom, but Jamie remained by his side, an arm around his waist as they walked. Jamie sat Clive on the edge of the bed before helping him pull on his pyjamas. 

‘I wonder if this is what children felt like when their parents put them to bed, you know before the leap. If they were ill, they would be tucked up in bed,’ said Clive with a yawn. 

‘Well I’m not your mother, and I won’t be kissing you goodnight,’ replied Jamie with a smirk as he pulled the covers over his friend.

‘I think I could sleep for a week…’

‘Well a few hours,’ agreed Jamie, ‘but then I need you to help me with some research for my boss.’

Jamie watched Clive nod before he turned on his side and very quickly slipped into a deep sleep. The exhausted Beta had done all that he could to help their family. Jamie was proud of his friend. He pulled the curtains and quietly left the room, closing the door behind him. 

As he turned away from the Clive’s room he found himself facing Meg who was standing in the middle of the landing. She looked as though she was about to cry. 

‘There’s nothing more we can do now,’ said Jamie as he closed the gap between them. 

They embraced firmly, holding onto each other for several seconds. Jamie realised he needed the hug as much as Meg did. They had both been forced to push their own worries aside to deal with the rest of their family. He had not realised just how worn out he was by all that had happened. 

Meg took his hand and led him back to the bathroom, she pushed him to sit in the chair by the door. He looked at her with confusion. 

‘Did he punch you?’ she asked.

Jamie had forgotten the earlier incident when the confused Alpha had knocked him to the ground. 

Jamie nodded, ‘it was when we stopped. I’d grabbed the car keys from him.’

Jamie raised his hand and looked at the cuts and grazes to his palm. Meg was looking through the bathroom cabinet pulling out some creams and a couple of plasters. 

‘I think you need a little first aid...and then we both need some self-care by way of a beer,’ said Meg, as she poured a little antiseptic from a bottle onto a piece of cotton wool. 

Jamie let his friend clean the grazes to his cheek and hand before she put a couple of plasters on the worst of the cuts to his hand. Jamie had not even noticed them. He looked at his jeans and shirt, realising he had splashes of blood over them. Such was his need to unite the Alpha and Omega he had disregarded his well being completely. 

‘Let’s just hope none of this was in vain,’ said Meg with a glance towards the closed door of Sammy’s bedroom. 

A~B~O

It had taken every fibre of his being not to simply jump out of the car and rush to his little Omega. But Jamie had been right, Daniel had managed to contain himself for a short while. He would have been devastated if he had hurt Clive in some primal misguided urge to get the supposed interloper away from his mate.

Clive had done something for the family that must have been difficult. Their Beta had helped Sammy. If Clive had not been there, Meg would have been forced to call in a stranger. Possibly another Beta male but more likely another Alpha. And poor Sammy did not deserve to have his heat dealt with by a stranger. After the attack mere weeks before the young man was still quiet and preoccupied. They had all noticed he was jumpy and had lost a lot of his confidence. The Alpha’s and Meg had been taking it in turns to make sure Sammy got to work safely. Daniel was sure Sammy was spending more nights with Jamie than he had done previously between heats. Daniel did not mind Jamie looking after Sammy in that way. They were the closer pair, a normal occurrence in most families. 

But as Daniel climbed out of the car and walked purposefully towards the house, as he climbed the stairs towards the Omega’s bedroom, he knew he was the one that Sammy needed. 

Their last heat together. Daniel had no delusions that he would get his little Omega pregnant. But he was going to look after the gentle Omega. He was going to see him through the heat well. He was going to chase away the discomfort, he was going to give Sammy what he wanted. What he needed. 

As he crossed the landing he heard the bathroom door close, he guessed Jamie had taken Clive there to get him cleaned up. Daniel would thank his family properly after the heat. But first, he had to concentrate on Sammy. 

The room was stuffy, he could smell the sex. Clive’s scent was still strong, but Daniel could ignore it in favour of Sammy. The Omega was lying on the bed, he had managed to twist slightly to look at him as he came in. There was a longing in his expression, a need. 

‘Please…’

The pitiful word was quietly said by the young man. Daniel quickly stripped. He did not bother to gather his clothes. He dispensed with the usual neatness that they usually had. He climbed onto the bed and pulled Sammy to him. The Omega weakly hugged him, before kissing him and pushing him away. Daniel knew that Sammy could not wait. 

He let Sammy go. Weakly, Sammy turned onto his front and pushed himself up, presenting for his Alpha. Daniel helped to hold him steady, knowing that Sammy was struggling to even get himself into position. The Alpha eased himself forward, his hard cock pushing into the desperate Omega easily. Daniel had to push the thought of Clive being in the same position before him out of his mind. Daniel could not dwell on what had happened in the hours before he had got there. Sammy pushed back onto him with a sigh. His breathing sped up, his head was bowed. Daniel thrust into his mate a few times, knowing what the Omega needed. 

Usually, he would ask Sammy if he was ready to be knotted. Daniel did not need to ask, he knew Sammy was ready, had been ready for hours. Daniel allowed his knot to grow inside Sammy, locking them together. He pulled Sammy into his arms as he gently eased them both onto their side. Sammy was limp. Daniel guessed his mate had passed out, which was not uncommon when they had their first knot of a heat. 

Daniel held Sammy close, he kissed his mates neck and stroked his hair whispering apologies that the young man would not hear. 

It had been a close thing, but he had made it back. Daniel had reached his little Omega in time.

A~B~O

The sleeping man stirred slightly but did not wake. Meg stroked the back of his hand with her thumb, she was careful to keep her touch light, she did not want to wake him. Clive looked peaceful. 

She had been shocked at the state of him when Jamie had carried him through to the bathroom. His limp arms simply dangling, the man had been so utterly exhausted from what he had been doing and had no doubt been suffering from the effects of coming down from the stimulant she had given him. 

Meg felt guilty, she felt as though she had made him take on the Alpha role. She knew she did not need to feel that way. Clive would have offered to help Sammy regardless of their own relationship. The Beta was a very giving man, nothing was too much trouble for him. Meg often wondered if it was something he did without realising. He was so grateful to be living freely, as freely as a Beta male could, that he wanted to pay back his family at every opportunity. 

‘I’m sorry,’ she said quietly, ‘Sammy is so important. Sometimes we have to put him before everything else. But what you did...what you did today was heroic. You being there for him, meant we didn’t have to call in some stranger.’

She sighed. It had been close. Without the stimulant which Clive had taken with no fuss, she would have been forced to call in an Alpha. The thought of a stranger fucking their vulnerable Omega was abhorrent to her. Clive had been there, his actions had saved Sammy from further torment. And they would all be forever grateful to him for that.

Would the relationship that they shared change? She hoped not. And she hoped Clive would not find it awkward to be with her again. 

Meg wondered what the future would bring for them all. They were in for a worrisome couple of weeks. Would Sammy be pregnant? She knew Daniel was resigned to never being a father. She knew that Sammy would blame himself. 

And then there was the vote. The thing she could not tell her men about. Not because they would not understand, but because she did not want to get their hopes up. If the vote went in their favour, which was highly likely, it would bring further change. 

The upheaval, which in the long run, would be for the good of them all, would be hard for a while. She shook her head as she continued to watch her sleeping lover. 

‘When they vote in three weeks,’ she said idly, ‘when we win, it’s going to make such a big change in our lives. And I want you there, in the centre of it all. Helping us all through it. Doing what you do best, my love. Being you. Being Clive. You don’t realise it, but you really are the lynchpin to this family. I think all families should be blessed with a Beta at their heart.’

She leaned back in the chair by the bed, thinking about the vote. It would change so much. Although even then there would be more that needed to be dealt with. And she owed it to her family to do her best to get the changes made. 

A~B~O

Clive was awake, but he did not want to move. He was still very tired. He had been aware of Meg sitting with him for some time. She had talked to him about something, but he could not remember what. His lover had kissed his temple and brushed his cheek. He remembered her stroking his hand. But he had not reacted, the exhaustion he had felt so complete that even the thought of moving or reacting made him hurt. 

He wondered how long he had slept for. Long enough for Meg to have left him. He was not surprised. His lover would have needed to rest as well. He doubted she had slept since Sammy had admitted he was in heat. Meg had probably been keeping in touch with Jamie and Daniel. Monitoring how far away the Alpha’s were, trying to work out if she would have to make the heartbreaking decision to get an agency Alpha in to see Sammy through his heat. 

But there was someone in the room.

Sammy.

The Omega was lying behind him, curled around his body, moulded to him, one arm around his waist. 

‘I know you’re awake,’ said the younger man. ‘Don’t worry, nothing is wrong.’

Clive did not respond, he did not think Sammy expected him to.

‘I feel a lot better now, Danny’s just having a shower, before we...well you know, again. I know the others have thanked you, and I’ve already thanked you, but I wanted to thank you again. I can’t thank you enough. What you did...I know you said you would always be there for us if we needed you to be. But what you did, it goes above and beyond. You risked yourself. You took a drug to keep going when you were already exhausted.’

Sammy squeezed him slightly. Clive could sense the calmness of the Omega. The healing aura. Clive knew that was why his friend had come into his bedroom and curled up with him. He knew it would only be for a few minutes. Sammy was in between matings with Daniel. The Omega must have received the Alpha knot, perhaps more than once, leaving him much calmer and not suffering from the heat symptoms for a while. 

The Omega was helping him to recover. Clive was grateful, it was thanks enough.

‘I was really scared they would have to get a stranger in to help me. After that Alpha attacked me...I couldn’t bear the thought of someone I didn’t know fucking me. I’m lucky to have you.’

Clive opened his eyes, he could see daylight around the closed curtains. He moved his hand to cover Sammy’s.

‘I’m glad I could help. Now get back to Daniel before he gets jealous of me monopolising his little Omega.’

Sammy chuckled, before leaning in for a tighter hug. He shuffled to the edge of the bed and wandered to the door, pausing to look back at Clive.

‘Rest now. You’ve helped us more than you can imagine.’

Clive watched as Sammy left the room, closing the door quietly behind him. The young Omega was obviously at ease again. More his usual self. Clive was pleased he had been able to help. 

Once again he felt truly happy to be part of the family. He loved them and knew that they loved him in return. 

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is one more story in this series left. The inevitable, predictable, ending. It is planned in my head, it just needs to make it to the page.


End file.
